You can get rid of those within the browser or use a popup blocker addon.

Win8.1 is fine once you get it tweaked. However, I understand the hatred towards it, especially the Metro UI.

From where? Go into the control panel and uninstall any application you know you don't need. If you're not sure, ask here.

He or she might have some toolbar installed that is doing that.

So much crap is bundled on new machines (trial Office, Anti-virus, files sharing programs, etc.). I've also noticed that MS has included more instruction pop ups in 8.1.

corners and sides of the screen have "charms" that perform actions.

This is why I almost never use the install from the manufacturer. They just can't resist installing crapware.

I use firefox as a browser and popup blocker is enabled. Oft times when i click on a site or enter an address in bar i get two tabs one for the site and another saying redirect savin something or other.
Will continue in my pursuit of making this work for me.

Malwarebytes or Spybot Search & Destroy should take care of it.

I would never have made the full time switch to linux!

it was primarily just preloaded programs that want to decide for me how i want to use computer. There were various programs that would go to a site featuring a commercial with a threat of bugs in my computer and so on. I am deleting programs when they rear their ugly heads and it is working much better now.

Works perfectly. Even imported my settings from my laptop. Great device.

...whenever you purchase a "from the manufacturer" machine, regardless of the OS.

You can start with the OS' native tools for uninstalling, and managing system startup/config, but they're likely to only deal with the most obvious items. Still, they're fast and easy, so worth a try.

After that, try downloading a couple of tools: I use Revo uninstaller and the Autoruns startup/config manager.

Then it's a question of decrapifying the stuff you DO want to keep-- changing settings on your browser, desktop, etc., designating default applications for various functions, etc.

Last time I bought a manufacturer machine it was a good three days's worth of plodding, a couple of hours at a time, to decrapify.

Now I just build from scratch, with help.

helpfully,
Bright

I thought i had pretty much de-crapified this thing but. Somehow i got hooked up with a program called convertanything. this program was just uninstalled after sending me to sites suggesting i upgrade my browser and so on every time i clicked on a link. And get this, when i went to uninstall the program a page opened up asking me why i wanted to do so. damn they have chutzpa extraordinaire!

...in most manufactured machines. "Chain reaction" style, too-- once you activate one of them, even accidentally, it sneakily activates another one, etc.

Autorun has saved me from tossing costly equipment off a third-story parapet a number of times.

Good luck!
encouragingly,
Bright